Bicycle Safety

by Myra VanInwegen

This article is all about riding your bike safely on the road. It is
my opinion, gradually formed over about a decade of extensive cycling
on lots of roads, both in the US and in the UK. It is also pretty much
the opinion of some other very experienced riders, such as John
Franklin, author of
Cyclecraft, John Forester, author of
Effective Cycling,
and the majority opinion of the denizens of the
newsgroup uk.rec.cycling. Note: since I live in England, this is
written assuming that you drive/ride on the left side of the road.
Eventually I'll make an American version of this, which assumes that
you drive/ride on the right side of the road.

The first thing I should say is that bike riding is actually
pretty safe. Accidents don't happen very often. Of course when one
happens it makes big news ("Cyclist run down by motorist feeding
Tamagatchi!") but you don't hear about the miles and miles of riding
with nothing worse than a puncture. Cycling deaths per year simply
pale in comparison to the number of deaths resulting from car
crashes. It is true that if you cycle everywhere rather than driving a
car your chances of a violent death are very slightly increased, but
this is more than offset by the decrease in heart attacks due to you
getting fitter. In other words, if you commute to work by bike your
life expectancy increases. If you follow the advice given here on how
to cycle safely, you will decrease even more your chances of getting
into an accident, further weighting things in favor of cycling.

Also, it has been shown that a cyclist riding along a road will in
general inhale less fumes than a motorist on the same road. Their cars
don't protect them from pollution, they instead hold it in!

The advice I give can be best summarized by this: follow traffic laws,
ride predictably, and be vigilant at all times.

Follow traffic laws. Many cyclists feel that the rules of the
road don't apply to them. For example, they run red lights
frequently. They often don't look very carefully before running red
lights. While cycling I have on several occasions almost run into a
cyclist who has run a red light. Perhaps she or he assumes that
because I also ride a bike, I'll be understanding and will ride around
them with a smile. Sorry, it's not like that.

And I often see cyclists riding around in the dark without lights, or
with nearly useless green or yellow LED headlights. As my daily
commute to work involves riding on cycle paths through unlit commons
in Cambridge, I often don't see these cyclists until I almost run into
them.

Not only is a cyclist breaking traffic laws putting
himself/herself at risk, but he/she is irritating drivers. Many
cyclists have an "us against them" attitude, and they are quite
pleased to annoy motorists. However, this is a losing strategy. The
more bikers that motorists see breaking the law, the less respect they
have for cyclists in general, and this leads them to be less careful
about giving cyclists the space and consideration on the road that is
lawfully theirs. And this leads cyclists to justify their lawbreaking
behavior by noting how often motorists break the law. This is a stupid
game, and it needs to stop.

Ride predictably. By this I mean that you should cycle in a
way that's similar to the way a well-behaved driver should drive
his/her car, while keeping in mind the limitations that you are riding
a much smaller, lighter, slower machine than they are driving. For
example, in most cases you should signal turns. To safely interact
with you on the road, the other road users (other cyclists and to a
lesser degree pedestrians, as well as motorists) need to know what you
are doing.

As another example, it is well-known that a cyclist should ride on
the left side of the road. However if there is a left turn only lane,
and you're not going left, you shouldn't be in that lane. If you're
going straight, you should be in the leftmost lane that a car going
straight should be in. If you're going right, you should be in the
leftmost lane that a car going right should be in. If you don't do
this, you are sending out the wrong signals to other road users, who
are justifiably expecting you to go where you should according to what
lane you're in. In addition to this, you will be in a great deal of
danger as you approach the intersection and try to make your turn, and
are trying to cut across lanes of traffic. For further details, please
see the section below on making turns.

Be vigilant at all times. Motorists don't try to run into
you. (Most of the time! There are some psychos on the road, but they
are the rare exceptions, not the rule.) However, if they are in a
hurry to get where they are going, or if they are simply not aware of
how to deal safely with cyclists on the road, they can make mistakes
that can hurt you. For example, say you are cycling along happily, and a
car starts to pass you, and the driver has gotten in front of you,
while part of the car is still level with you. Suddenly, the car cuts
to the left, either to claim a parking spot or to turn into a side
road or drive. If you don't react quickly enough, you could go
down. It's clearly the driver's fault, but it's your body that suffers
the consequences. You need to be aware of the possibility that the
driver might do just such a thing, and be prepared to take evasive
maneuvers. You might not succeed in avoiding the accident, but perhaps
you can lessen its severity.

Your hearing is a vital clue as to what is happening around you.
You can usually hear a car coming by the rush of air or the swish of
its tires, even if you can't hear the engine. So never listen to music
while wearing headphones when you're on a bike, and do not wear hats
or helmets that interfere with your ability to hear.

To signal a turn, you stick out your arm, left arm for left turn,
right arm for right turn. How far you stick it out is up to you, but
remember that the more horizontal it is, the more visible it is. It's
a good idea idea to point your fingers as well to make it even more
clear. Perhaps more important than how far you stick your arm out is
how long you hold the signal. A quick flick of your arm will probably
be missed, but if you hold a clear signal for several seconds it's
more likely to be seen. I've noticed that many beginning cyclists find
it difficult to ride with only one hand on the handlebars. If this is
a problem for you, you should take the time to practice riding while
maintaining a turn signal. It is absolutely essential for safe bike
riding.

Left turns are usually pretty simple. Stay on the left side of the
road. If you're making a turn onto a road that has priority, obviously
you have to wait until there's enough of a gap in traffic for you to
safely get onto the road and get up to speed. And of course, if there
are traffic lights at the intersection, you must wait until the light
is green before you go.

Should you signal? Well, have a look around. If there's no one
around (cars, other bikes, pedestrians about to cross the road you
want to turn into) then you don't need to. If there's a car or bike
waiting to come out of the road you're turning into, you should
signal, so that the waiting person knows he can come out. Sometimes
it's a good idea not to signal. Occasionally I've had cars try to
overtake me as I'm going around the corner. This is not a good idea at
all, as usually there isn't really enough room. On the other hand,
sometimes cars that have been waiting behind you for an opportunity to
pass can get impatient. If you signal a left turn, this tells them
that you'll be leaving that road soon, so it may prevent them from
doing any risky overtaking maneuvers. You'll have to use your
discretion here.

If you are signalling your turn, make sure you put your hands back
on the handlebars before you actually make the turn.

What about braking? Well, you must brake as you signal. This is
one of the skills you need to learn for safe riding in traffic:
braking for a turn with one hand while making a clear turn signal with
the other. What about shifting down? There are two choices here. If
you can actually start pedalling from a dead stop in the gear that you
cruise in, just don't shift down. Alternatively, shift down as you
approach the place where you're turning, in case you have to stop. I
use the former approach: I stand up to pedal when I start off from a
stop, and this gives me the power I need to start off in a high
gear.

Going straight seems like it would be simple, but there are
some subtleties. The worst difficulty is what you do when there's a
left-turn-only lane. To deal with this, see the paragraphs below. If
there's no left-turn-only lane, the main thing you have to be
concerned with is not getting caught to the left of a left-turning
car. Never ever ride to the left of a car that is signalling to go
left. This is asking for trouble. Slow down and wait behind it until
it turns, or pass it on the right (if this is safe). In other words,
act like a well-behaved motorist would. Also, if you're coming up to
an intersection where you expect that there will be cars turning left,
it's a good idea to get somewhat further from the edge of the road, to
emphasize that you're not turning left. The last thing you want is a
left-turning driver somehow assuming that you're turning left, and
pulling up beside you. Sometimes drivers can be very unobservant, and
"not notice" bikes, and so they'll pass them and then immediately turn
left, fast enough that the cyclist can't stop to avoid them. If you
pull a little further into the road, this helps you to be noticed, and
can help prevent the problem.

Say you're coming up to the turn you need to make. Think ahead. If
there are cars queueing up at a junction, make sure you get into the
correct road position well before the back end of the queue, so you're
not trying to cross stationary queues (this is very dangerous, since
the cars could start moving at any time). If there are straight/turn
arrows painted on the road, you should start moving into position when
you get to these markings, or even before. Exceptions can be made for
very very long marked lanes, when there is little traffic. You must
try to judge for yourself when it's best to leave the left side of the
road and get into the proper lane. It's better to do it a bit too
early than a bit too late. You need time to do this maneuver
safely.

First, identify the lane you need to be in to make your turn. If
there are separate lanes for left/straight/right, this is clear: you
need to be in the leftmost lane that goes in the direction you are
going in. If there are shared lanes (like a left/straight lane), you
have to position yourself within the lane to make your intention
clear. For example, if you are turning right and there is only one
lane, you need to be on the right side of that lane. For a more
complicated example, if you're going straight and the leftmost lane
that allows you to go straight is a shared left/straight lane, you
shouldn't be located at the left edge of this lane, because a motorist
who's turning left may try to pass you on the right or pull up to the
right of you when you're waiting in the queue. You need to be in the
middle of the lane or even to the right of the lane. Similarly, if
you're going straight and the leftmost lane that allows you to go
straight is a shared straight/right lane, you need to be in the middle
to left side of it, to prevent right-turning motorists from trying to
pass you on the left.

Having located where you need to go, now you take actions that get
you there. Look behind you, over your right shoulder, to see if it's
safe to make your lane change. Do you need to signal? If there is
absolutely no one around, you don't need to. Move to the correct place
on the road, and make your turn when you get to the junction.

If your look behind you reveals that there are cars, you have to
try to judge how close they are and how fast they are moving. If you
think you have enough time to change lanes, make a right turn
signal. It's a good idea to continue to hold your signal, then look
again to make sure you haven't misjudged the speed or distance of the
car. If you still think you have enough time, move over to the proper
place on the road. If your look reveals that the car is too close or
moving too fast, wait a bit and then try again. Eventually you should
be able to move over. Often a motorist will notice a cyclist moving a
bit slower than usual in the left lane, looking behind at oncoming
traffic in an obvious way, will realize that the cyclist wants to
change lanes, and will slow down to let her in.

Once you are in the correct place you don't have to hold your
signal all the time: where you are on the road will tell the motorists
where you're turning. But if there's any possibility of confusion
(like, you're in a the middle of a straight/right lane and going
right) signal again as you reach the point where you actually
turn.

You may think that the description above is ridiculous. You may
feel that riding in the middle of the road leaves you vulnerable, that
you'll be safer if you stay on the left side of the road. This feeling
is mainly due to the fact that your bike offers you no protection in
case of a collision, and if a car plows into you, you could be badly
hurt. However, these kind of collisions (a lawful cyclist being run
into from behind) are pretty rare. Less than 2% of collisions are of
this type; most collisions occur at intersections or other places
where paths of motorists and cyclists cross.

The vehicular turns described above are actually the best
way to make a turn. Any other maneuver you try will be either much
more dangerous (because you will be riding in the wrong lane for the
direction you want to go, and you'll conflict with motorists'
expectations of what you will do) or much much slower (like, going up
onto the pavement, getting off the bike, and walking through the light
as if you were a pedestrian).

How do I know this? Because I've tried it. No one ever taught me
how to ride in traffic. I was taught how to drive, and how to obey the
rules of the road when I was in a car, but I somehow assumed that
these rules didn't apply to me when I was on a bike, since I was slow
and vulnerable, and I needed to keep to the side of the road. The
opinion I have now was formed by riding in just about every way you
can imagine. I have had by far the best results from by and
large, doing something reasonably similar to what I would in a car:
making sure I'm in the correct lane for turns, signalling turns,
etc. Try it. Ride with confidence, obey traffic laws, and you may be
surprised that the motorists actually respect you more than when you
cowered next to the gutter, afraid to leave the edge of the road.

If you are a UK driver, you already know the rules for
roundabouts. If you are not a driver, or if you are visiting from
abroad, you need to know these rules to safly get through roundabouts,
as motorists will be expecting you to obey the same rules they do. The
first thing you need to know is that traffic already in the roundabout
has priority over traffic entering the roundabout. So when you're
waiting to enter the roundabout, you have to wait until there's a gap
sufficiently big for you to get into the roundabout, up to full speed,
and well on your way before the car reaches you. If there isn't, then
wait.

If there are people waiting at two different entrances to the
roundabout, the vehicle to the right has priority. He should move onto
the roundabout, and then after he passes the vehicle to the left can
go. If there are vehicles waiting at all entrances there's a deadlock!
Eventually someone goes, and then all the priorities are sorted
out. In these situations there can sometimes be a couple of false
starts when you decide to go, then discover that someone else has
decided to go as well, but as long as you're careful it works out OK.

Small to medium roundabouts are characterized by reasonably low
speed traffic. They are best approached by doing exactly what a
well-behaved motorist would do. Get in the proper lane (i.e., the
leftmost lane that goes in the direction you want) and go
through the roundabout, giving way to people coming from your right. I
have found that if I am in any lane but the leftmost one going into
the roundabout, it is best not to try to share a lane with a car, even
if the lane seems to be wide enough. Sharing tends to confuse the
motorists about which way you are going. It could also result in a car
trying to exit the roundabout with you in the way. This happens
because motorists are often in the wrong lane going through the
roundabout, or they change their mind about which exit to take. If you
start out parallel to them, you decrease your chances of being seen.
Also, sharing a lane with a car (usually with you on the left) can
obscure your vision of the traffic on the roundabout. On a roundabout
almost more than anywhere else, you must be very aware of the traffic,
where it is coming from, and how fast it's going, and your vision is
paramount. So wait at the end of the queue of cars going through the
roundabout.

The key to getting through small roundabouts safely is to get
into the correct lane and follow traffic laws.

Medium-big roundabouts, where speeds are higher, are much more
tricky. The first thing you should know is that you should avoid using
the bike paths that are often found going along the outside, unless
you are going left at the roundabout. If you are not going left, you
will have to cross one of the exits from the roundabout, and this is
very dangerous. Partly the danger comes from the fact that motorists
often don't signal when they exit roundabouts. Thus you can't tell for
sure when they are exiting or not. Part of the problem comes from the
fact that you are not only crossing the exit, but also the entrance to
the roundabout, thus doubling your chances of a collision.

Going through the roundabout is OK when there isn't much traffic
in them, like early on a weekend morning or at night (if you are well
lit). Again, just follow the rules, and be in the correct lane when
you go around.

Here are some tips for right turns on the roundabout: if the
correct lane is the one closest to the island at the center of the
roundabout, then get close enough to the island to prevent people from
overtaking you on the right. If you keep to the left edge of this
lane, you'll get drivers overtaking you on the right, and since on
larger roundabouts you get people going at a fair speed, you'll get
people passing you on both the left and right going pretty fast. I
find this quite unnerving.

When you're getting close to your exit, you have to maneuver
towards the outside edge of the roundabout. Look over your left
shoulder to see if the way is clear. This is exceptionally important,
not just to see if it's safe for you to move over, but to start giving
signals to drivers that you're going to make a move. They're usually a
bit wary of you, so if you look over your shoulder that gives them
info on what you're planning. If it's clear, move left towards the
outside of the roundabout. It would be nice if I could signal while
I'm doing this, but generally I'm going pretty fast and turning at the
same time, so I think it's best to keep my hands on the bars. My
visual check has confirmed that there are no cars immediately behind
me, and my head turning has clued in drivers further back on what I'm
planning, so this ought to be safe enough. Once you are on the left
side of the roundabout, signal left, which confirms that you are
exiting the roundabout. Stay to your left as you exit: there are
usually two lanes exiting these larger roundabouts, and cars will
overtake you as they exit. This is standard practice and is perfectly
safe, just be prepared for it.

When there is traffic on these roundabouts, going left
is still fine. Going straight (taking the second exit) is more tricky,
but if you are experienced enough and confident enough, it is usually
OK. Make sure you position yourself to the right of left-turning
cars. These cars may pass you between the point where you enter the
roundabout and where they exit, but they shouldn't have built up too
much speed, so it won't be too much of a problem. Watch the cars that
are entering the roundabout at that exit very very closely. Try to
make it clear from your positioning on the road that you are not
taking the first exit. After that first exit, you'll be on the left
side of the roundabout, and the cars will all pass you on the
right. Then you take your exit.

I simply have not found a good way to turn right at these
roundabouts when there is traffic. The car drivers typically build up
a fair speed on these roundabouts, and if you are in the proper lane
for turning right, you may end up with cars passing you at reasonably
high speeds both to the left and right. This can be incredibly
frightening. If you are in the lane for going straight (second exit),
you will have cars cutting across your path when they take the second
exit.

The best advice I can give is to try your hardest to avoid turning
right on these roundabouts when there is traffic. Try to find an
alternative route. Here is one of the few places where I think that
special cycle facilities are truly useful. And I don't mean a useless
and dangerous cycle path around the outside. I mean a subway under the
roundabout that avoids crossing the entrances and exits of the
roundabout, or a tunnel under or bridge over the road that you are
trying to cross.

The reason these big roundabouts exist is to form an intersection
between two biggish roads. A common situation is when you have a big
multi-lane A-road, and a roundabout is provided for larger A-roads and
B-roads to get across it. Typically, these multi-lane A-roads were
widened from smaller A-roads, and they cut in half local roads that
used to go across the smaller A-road. Car traffic is shunted around to
these big roundabouts, and the cyclist is forced to go the same way,
both making a big detour and dealing with the dangers of a large
roundabout. If the multi-lane A-road were a motorway instead, by UK
law the small local roads could not be cut. They would have to build
an underpass or bridge so traffic could continue on the small road.
Because of this, I feel that if a local road is cut because of the
construction of a large A-road, there is a very good justification for
a bike/pedestrian bridge or tunnel to connect to cut ends of these
roads.

These are lanes that merge into a larger road at an angle, or
leave it at a shallow angle. The idea is to promote high-speed entry
and exit from a road: there are no sharp turns near the main road, and
the cars can speed up as they approach the road, and very gradually
slow down as they leave the road. This means that if you're cycling
past a slip lane, you have to deal with cars entering and leaving the
road at very high speeds. I don't ride on roads that have slip roads
(mainly because there aren't any near Cambridge that don't have good
alternative routes), so I haven't formulated any particular approach
to them. I would suggest avoiding them if you can, especially if you
are new to cycling in traffic. However, if you feel up to them and
can't feasibly avoid them, here are some hints from James D Annan that
can help you.

Move out a bit more than usual from the kerb, and get past the slip
lane as fast as possible. Cars leaving/joining are not going to be
expecting bikes so make yourself as obvious as possible and get past
the danger asap.

For an exit slip lane, follow the slip road off the main
carriageway a little way. When it is safe to do so, turn sharply right
across the slip road and rejoin the main road. For an entry slip road,
check for traffic joining from the left, and when it is clear, cross
sharply over to the LHS of the slip road. Then rejoin as the slip road
tapers. Sometimes there are cycle lanes marking this procedure out,
although I prefer to use my judgement as to what route to take rather
than following the prescribed route (which usually involves several
right angle turns, and stopping).

Be very alert when you are on a road that has priority over a side
road, and a car rolls up to the edge of the side road, wanting to
cross or join the road you are on. The motorist may not see you if he
isn't paying attention, or (much more of a danger) may underestimate
your speed (all bikers are slow, right?) or feel that he is more
important than you are, so he pulls out in front of you, requiring you
to brake. For all these reasons, keep your hands near your brakes and
watch the car very carefully. To see if the car is going forward or
not, it's best to look not at the car itself, but at its wheels, as at
slow speeds you can see the turning of the wheels more easily than the
actual forward motion of the car. If the motorists for whatever reason
pulls out in front of you, brake. Of course you have priority, but
don't risk your life to defend it.

Cars are often parked on the side of the road. The best way to
deal with them is to look over your right shoulder as you approach the
parked car to determine if there is a car in the process of overtaking
you, or just beginning to. If the way is clear, then gradually pull
out far enough to be able to avoid car doors if they are opened in
front of you. If the way isn't clear, slow down until the overtaking
cars pass, then look again. When it's clear, go. Often a driver will
see you look, realize what you're planning (it'll be obvious, since
you certainly can't continue straight on!) and ease off enough to let
you in front of him.

Should you signal a right turn as you are pulling out to go around
the cars? I think you shouldn't signal: the fact that you've turned
your head to look behind you will have communicated your intentions to
a following driver. Many people think you should signal as you pull
out, but I believe this is misleading, as it suggests that you are
going to be turning right. I'm not alone in my opinion: many cycle,
motorcycle, and driving instructors also suggest not signalling when
you are going around parked cars, and the vast majority of motorists
don't signal when going around parked cars.

There is a growing number of cycle facilities, including bike lanes,
bike paths, and advanced stop lines. They may seem like a godsend, but
often these facilities have built-in dangers that you need to be aware
of.

Below, I use "cycle path" to refer to cycle facilities that are off
the road, usually on a paved path parallel to a road, and sometimes
shared with pedestrians. I use "cycle lane" to refer to cycle
facilities on the road. Usually these take the form of a narrow lane,
separated from the other lanes by a white line. Sometimes, the tarmac
is colored green or red.

Cycle paths seem to be appearing all over the place. Many
cyclists (especially inexperienced cyclists and children) feel that
cycling on the road is dangerous, since you have to mix with cars,
which are big and fast and could easily kill you. So they are happy to
go off the road, onto these cycle paths, to escape the cars. Then they
feel safer, protected from cars.

This is a false feeling of safety. The first and most important reason
for this is that cars simply do not run into you from behind. Well,
almost never. According to an
article by John Forester, less then 2% of car-bike accidents are
caused by the bike being hit from behind by a car. That leaves at
least 98% of accidents happening at intersections, and at other places
where the paths of cars and bikes can cross. Bike paths lessen the
danger of being run into from behind, but dramatically increase the
chances of getting hit at an intersection. In other words, they
decrease the likelihood of an accident that's very unlikely in the
first place, but further increase the chances of getting into the most
common sort of accident. This increases your overall risk of getting
into an accident.

The reason that bike paths increase collisions at intersections is
this: when motorists are approaching intersections, they are looking
for traffic at certain places on the roadway. They are not looking for
vehicles on the pavement (which is effectively what an off-road cycle
path is). Thus they are surprised when cyclists suddenly appear in
front of them while they are making maneuvers at intersections. You
might think that requiring cyclists to give way at all side roads
would eliminate this problem, but it doesn't work. For example, say
you're on a cycle path next to a main road, and there's enough traffic
on the main road that there's a queue of cars on the side road,
waiting to go onto or across the main road. You see that they are
stopped, so you go between them. Suddenly a gap opens, and the cars
start to move. You get hit. And if a car is turns onto a side road
from the main road without signalling enough in advance, you may not
see it in time to avoid it. And unless you are specifically looking
behind you for left-turning cars, you won't see it at all. If you're
on the road surface, the motorists are much likely to see you and give
you time to clear the intersection before they turn.

This shared-use cycle path crosses the entrance to a
car park. The fact that there are thick dotted lines going across the
entrance suggests to me that the cycle path should have right of way
here. I decided to test it. I saw a car coming out of the car park,
and I continued cycling along the path. The driver didn't even bother
looking, he just kept driving, and I had to brake to avoid hitting
him. I don't think it ever occurred to him that the dotted lines
cutting across the car park entrance might actually mean
something.

There are other problems with cycle paths as well. Often they are
shared with pedestrians, who tend to act very unpredictably. If they
are on the path, there is a good chance they will suddenly change
direction, and if you are going at any decent speed at all, you may be
unable to avoid hitting them. Bike paths are also populated with
unpredictable cyclists. The cyclists on these paths are often the
least experienced ones. Since they haven't ridden on roads enough to
know that predictability is essential for safe cycling, they are just
as likely as the pedestrians to suddenly change direction and ride
right into your path.

Finally, bike paths are often badly paved and maintained. Thus
they are usually bumpier than roads and have more glass. They often
have obstacles, like lamp posts, in the middle of them. All of this
makes it much more unpleasant to ride on, and more likely that a bump
or some obstacle will catch you unaware, causing you to crash.

In summary, cycle paths that are off the road surface, parallel to
it and near it, make you ride slower and are more dangerous than
riding on the road. If you don't believe the "more dangerous" bit,
check out John Franklin's
article on cycle paths. I've only found two situations where
off-road shared cycle paths are truly useful to an experienced
cyclist. The first is when the cycle path goes somewhere that a road
doesn't go. This can cut the distance you have to travel by so much
that it makes up for the time you lose in going slowly enough to avoid
collisions with unpredictable pedestrians, cyclists, and dogs. The
second is when the cycle path is along a road, but the path is smooth,
wide, and there are no pedestrians (because there are no shops or
houses along the road) and no side streets that you have to give way to.
I strongly suggest that, for a given cycle path, if the path does not
fall into one of the two categories above, that you ignore it and ride
along the road, assuming it is legal to do so.

So many cyclists feel that the Netherlands is a
heaven for cyclists that I must mention it here. My comments are based
on having spent a few days cycling in the area surrounding Eindhoven,
from corresponding with Dutch cyclists, and from reading (summaries
of) studies of Dutch cycle facilities.

First, my own experience. I enjoyed greatly the cycle paths in the
Netherlands that weren't next to any roads. There are alot of forests
in that area, and it was a real pleasure to ride through them on
tracks entirely apart from cars. No noise, no pollution, heaven
indeed! However, I found the cycle paths next to roads to be an
incredible annoyance. In that part of the Netherlands, there isn't much
traffic, and I felt that the cycle paths were completely
unnecessary. They were a major pain however. Turning left (they ride
on the right side of the road) was a real hassle. If I wanted to turn
left at an intersection with lights, I had to wait through several
changes of special traffic lights for bikes to make the turn without
leaving cycle paths. Even if the light was green for cars. I would
watch as the cars got into the proper lane and made thier turns and I
sat still, stopped by a red cycle light. After some time and signal
changes, I had finally made my turn. This seemed a big waste of time
and was very frustrating, since I am perfectly capable of making a
safe left turn riding on the road.

Making a left turn when there are no signals are even worse. In
the US (another place where they ride on the right side) I'd start on
the right side of the road, and when there were no cars behind me, I'd
signal left and pull out into the middle of the road. There I would
wait until there was a break in the opposing traffic, and then I'd
go. In the meantime, cars would pass me on the right side. In the
Netherlands you can't do this. You must wait at the edge of the road
until both sides are clear. This can take a very long time...

Second, correspondence with Dutch cyclists. Some of them love the
cycle paths. They like being separated from cars. Parents are
particularly attracted to them. However, people who like to ride
in groups or even somewhat faster than the usual slow Dutch
cyclist utterly hate these cycle paths, since they are mandatory.
Yvonne van den Hork, a Dutch randonneur, writes:

I live in what I call 'bike-apartheid' country the Netherlands. Here
cyclists are obliged to use the bike paths. These are indeed
dangerous. Especially as the path is often uprooted by trees or broken
tiles, which prohibits fast riding. At night you get blinded by cars
and of course, lanes near hedges are very dangerous because of the
cars coming out of driveways. But what to do if you get harassed by
cars if you are using the safe way out and use the road? I've been
driven into the verge on purpose just because cycling on the road was
not allowed, while it was perfectly safe. People think I am crazy,
but it is them. Paths are designed with the safety of cars in mind,
they don't have to deal with those nasty cyclists any longer. And
parents have a big say too. The Dutch are furthermore so brainwashed
that we are (and I was) made to believe bike paths are safer.

Third, safety. Let me quote from a survey of a Dutch study "Safety
effects of bicycle facilities". The summary is by John Franklin.

In built-up areas cycle paths 25% safer than unsegregated road
between junctions, but 32% more dangerous at junctions. Cycle lanes
36% more dangerous between junctions, 19% safer at
junctions. Seriousness of accidents greater if paths or lanes present
compared with no facilities. Cycle lanes narrower than 1.8m
particularly hazardous. Outside towns, cycle path safety depends on
car and cycle numbers. New cross-town routes in Den Haag and Tilburg
had produced no safety gain and had not encouraged much new cycling.

Note that this study shows that cycle paths are quite a bit less safe
than unsegregated roads, since most accidents happen at junctions.
Why don't the carefully designed off-road cycle paths increase safety
at junctions? My interpretation is that this is the problem. The cycle
paths have priority over cars going to and from side roads. Once the
traffic gets above a certain level, it is beyond the capability of
most drivers to monitor both the traffic on the road surface, and the
traffic on the cycle paths. Mistakes are made, and accidents occur.
The safest place for bikes to be is on the road, where they can be
easily seen by drivers, along with the other traffic.

Mind you, these results are from the Netherlands, where the cycle
facilities are about the best in the world. In particular, the cycle
paths are not shared with pedestrians, while almost all cycle paths in
the UK are shared with pedestrians. This makes UK cycle paths even
more dangerous than Dutch ones, as you are even more likely to get
into an accident (colliding with a pedestrian who suddenly changes
course or colliding with something else to avoid a pedestrian).

There are often cattle grids on bike paths. The main thing you
need to know about them is that they are extremely slippery when they
are wet. If you try to turn at all when you are on one, or if you even
try to pedal hard, your wheels will slide sideways. The only way to go
safely through them is to go absolutely straight through. Make all
turns, even if slight ones, before or after the cattle grid.

Sometimes the designers of the shared pedestrian/bike paths put
gates for walkers along the main line of the path, and put cattle
grids for cyclists off to the side. (An example of a stupidly designed
bike path, see below for lots more.) Often it is
impossible to avoid turning when you are on these cattle grids. Be
wary when it's even slightly damp out, and be prepared for your wheels
to slide. If you don't think you can handle your wheels sliding
sideways, it's best to go through the pedestrian gate.

I have much more respect for on-road cycle lanes than off-road
cycle paths. A cycle lane can have some benefits, especially when
traffic flow is heavy. It gives cyclists a lane all to themselves,
which they can use to pass the gridlocked cars. Also, if there is a
left-turn-only lane, a cycle lane that goes to the right of the
left-turn-only lane can make going straight much easier for the
cyclist. However, I think that there are few to no other benefits to
them.

They have many disadvantages, even if they are well-designed.
And many (if not most) of them are not well-designed. I'll go into
that later, but now let me discuss the disadvantages of a
well-designed cycle lane. The biggest problem with them is that they
seem to say to people, cyclists and motorists alike, "Bikes belong
here!". As I noted above, there are very good reasons for not being
along the left edge of the road, like if you're turning right. The
idea that bikers should stay in the bike lane, no matter what, is
partly responsible for cyclists not taking the proper place on the
road in preparation for making a turn.

Another problem is that cars park in them. Even if it is against
the law (in the UK, if the lane is separated from the rest of the road
surface by a solid line, this means "no parking") cars still park in
them. This means, of course, that you have to leave the cycle lane to
go around the car. Not a problem, really, except that (as mentioned
above) some motorists are less likely to let you merge into traffic,
because "you belong in the cycle lane".

Bike lanes, even ones on roads, are much more likely to have
broken glass and other trash in them. Road surfaces used by cars are
much cleaner because the tires and the wind currents caused by the
cars' passage sweep the road clean. I don't know how this works, but
it does.

Another problem is that bike lanes are often too narrow. The
following situation happens to me regularly as I ride down the streets
of Cambridge. I'm a safe distance from the curb, far enough away to
avoid the rough tarmac on the edge and the uneven grates. Suddenly I
notice that a cycle lane has appeared on the road, and I'm outside of
it: the white line is to the left of my wheels. In these
circumstances, I do make the effort to move left, so that my wheels
are the left of the white line, but I make no effort to ride in the
middle of the lane; this would put me much too close to the edge of
the road.

A final problem with cycle lanes is that they tempt cyclists into
undertaking maneuvers. See the section below that discusses this.

Basically, I call a cycle lane
badly designed if it seems to be trying to get the cyclist to behave
in an unpredictable or unsafe manner. One example of a badly designed
cycle lane is one that continues on to the left of a left turn only
lane. This cycle lane seems to suggest you should stay to the left of
the left-turn lane, even if you're going straight. Unless there are
special signals set up at the intersection to allow a cyclist to go
straight from this lane, it's completely nonsensical, and you have to
ignore the cycle lane and get in the proper lane for going
straight. And I don't like these sorts of lanes even if there are
special traffic signals to allow a cyclist to go straight: cars going
straight have green lights for much longer than cyclists going
straight. Also, it's very counterintuitive, and just reinforces the
idea that cyclists belong shoved off into inferior provisions on the
left side of the road.

What's wrong with this picture?

Well, first,
there's a cycle lane to the left of a left-turn only. Second, there's
a car parked in the cycle lane, which is against the law, since the
cycle lane is marked with a solid line. When I knocked on the window
of the car and asked the driver if he knew that what he was doing was
illegal, he responded, innocently, that he didn't know.

Another very common example of a badly-designed cycle lane
is one that goes up onto the pavement at odd places, especially at
junctions. This is really quite useless, as it removes a bike from the
road surface where it will be seen and accounted for, and puts it onto
a track to the side of the road, where a motorist is not expecting
vehicles to be. Also, it means that the cyclists suddenly go from
having a rightful place in traffic, going ahead with all the other
traffic, to sitting off the road in an inferior position, where they
have to give way to all traffic coming to and from a side
road. Finally, if the cyclist manages to make it through the junction
safely, the off-road track often suddenly rejoins the main road
surface, which can cause a bit of surprise to motorists, who think
that a cyclist is suddenly pulling out into the road in front of
them. If it is legal to do so, I highly recommend that you ignore
these sudden turns, and continue along the main road surface,
positioning yourself in the proper lane for the direction you are
going in.

A cycle lane leaves the road surface at an
intersection. And this isn't even an intersection with a road, it's
the entrance to a garden center. So I'm supposed to leave the road
surface to go onto a pavement, where I then have to give way to people
going to buy plants? I don't think so. Evidently, neither does this
postman.

Advanced stop lines are an attempt at helping cyclists negotiate
intersections with traffic lights. They are basically areas reserved
for cyclists right in front of traffic lights, ahead of the queue of
cars that are waiting to get through the lights. They are marked
with bike signs and often a different-colored surface. They often have
an approach lane, a cycle lane on the left of the road that allows
cyclists to bypass cars to get into the advanced stopping area.

My opinion of them is that, like bike lanes, they of very limited
utility. Their main plus point is that they allow bikes to bypass
queued cars, and therefore get where they are going faster than they
would otherwise.

The main problem with them is that they create confusion as to who
should be going where. In particular, it encourages cyclists to try to
get to the front of the queue, and they often do unsafe things in
order to get there. Often they pass to the left of cars that are about
to turn left. You have to be very careful with this. Look at the
Undertaking section for a advice on this.

The absolutely worst thing about advanced stop lines is that it
encourages cyclists to try to turn right by riding up the left side of
traffic, reaching the advanced stop area, crossing in front of the
stopped queues of cars to get to the right side of the road, then
turning right when the light turns green. This is a completely
incorrect way to make a right turn. Do not do this. Ever. If you're
really really lucky you just might make it. But what if the light
turns green as you're riding up the left side? There you are, trapped,
in the wrong place to make your right turn. And what if the lights
change as you're trying to cut across the queues of stopped traffic to
get to the right side of the road? You get knocked off. Don't do
it. Learn to make safe lane changes. Get into the queue of
right-turning cars and take your place in traffic. It is the only
sensible way to make a right-hand turn.

I've heard the word "undertaking" used for passing to the left of
another vehicle that's going more slowly than you are. If the road is
wide enough for you to ride to the left of a queue of cars, or if
there is a cycle lane, you are often tempted to undertake cars. This
is OK if the car is going straight, but is stopped by traffic. But it
can lead to accidents if the car is about to turn left. Here are some
guidelines for how to deal with this.

Say you are coming up to an intersection with a traffic light, and
there's a car with a left turn signal on ahead of you. Should you
undertake it in the cycle lane or not? There are a couple of cases to
consider. If the light is red and the car is far enough back from the
intersection it won't start moving immediately when the lights turn
green, and it's probably safe to pass it. Once the light has turned
green, do not pass a car that has its left turn signals on.

If the car is right at the intersection, you should avoid passing
it unless there is an advanced stop line (see below): you do not want
to end up stopped to the left of a left-turning car. If there is an
advanced stop line, you must exercise extreme caution in passing a car
at a traffic light. If the light has just turned red, and you are
absolutely sure you have enough time to pass it before the light turns
green, it's probably OK to pass. But if the light has been red for
awhile, it is a very bad idea to go to its left, as the light may turn
green at any time, and you could get a car turning left directly into
you. A motorist should look before turning left across a cycle
lane, but you have to keep in mind that drivers are not expecting
straight-heading traffic to be passing them on the left. Don't take
the chance. Stay behind the car to protect yourself.

If the car is not at an intersection with lights, but is
signalling to turn left into a side road, then do not undertake it.
You should slow down and let the car turn. (Either that or, if it's
safe, pull out of the cycle lane and go around the car to the
right. It's probably much easier to just pause until it makes its
turn.) There are a few reasons why this is the correct maneuver.
First, safety. The motorist may not be looking out for bikes. Put
yourself in his head. He's moved as far left as he's legally allowed
to, he's plainly signalled his intentions, and he's slowed down to
make the turn. He does not expect a cyclist to zoom past him on the
left just as he's beginning to turn. Second, courtesy. Slowing down to
let the car turn only makes you pause a few seconds at most, and it
gets the car off the road and lets it continue on its way, and
prevents it from blocking cars behind it. Third, the law. The Highway
Code is clear (paragraph 197) about this. Its advice to cyclists is
"Do not overtake on the left of vehicles slowing down to turn
left".

There are two important things to consider for cycling apparel,
comfort and safety. For comfort, wear clothes that won't restrict your
movement nor make you too hot or too cold. For example, if you wear a
fashionable tight skirt at work, don't commute in it. Wear something
else, and change when you get to work. If it's hot, don't wear your
three-piece suit for commuting. Again, wear something else and change
when you get to work.

Winter is the time when you have to be especially careful to dress
to keep yourself comfortable. When you're on a bike you're much more
exposed to the elements than when you are driving or even walking. You
are going much faster on a bike, which gives you more wind chill. You
have to be careful not to wear hoods that restrict your vision. You
can't put your hands in your pockets, since they need to be on the
handlebars to control the bike. Although often I see cyclists with one
hand in a pocket, and one very cold hand trying to steady the bike, or
with both hands in pockets. These cyclists are not able to respond
quickly to conditions of traffic, and this makes it very risky.

You have to pay particular attention to keeping your hands, head,
and feet warm. For the hands, you'll need some good warm gloves.
They don't have to be cycle-specific, but if they have a leather palm
and fingers, this helps prevent them for getting holes where they rest
on the handlebars. To keep your head warm a wooly hat often works,
although they sometimes don't have enough wind protection to keep you
warm. Try to find a hat with nylon on the outside for maximum warmth.
If you wear a helmet, it can be especially difficult to keep your head
warm. See my cold weather riding article for
tips on this. Often the light shoes you wear indoors are not good
enough to keep you warm while biking. Find some good solid leather
shoes or boots to get you to work, or wear some overshoes to keep
warm.

We are often commuting when the sun is low in the sky. To avoid
being blinded, have some sunglasses handy, or wear a cap or helmet
with a peak. The peak may not block out the sun if it's immediately
above the horizon, but it does cut down on the total amount of light
that enters your eyes.

You can improve your visibility by carefully choosing your
clothing. Since it's often cool enough to wear a jacket, you should
select a cycling jacket carefully. For daytime riding, bright clothes
are the best. Any light color will do, like lime green, bright red,
and (the cyclists' favorite) fluorescent yellow. These light colors
aren't all that useful in the dark. That's where reflective stuff
comes in. The best is 3M's Scotchlite, that white-silver stuff you
often see. It is very useful in helping you to be seen, so much so
that I refuse to buy a cycling jacket unless it has some. Thus the
safest cycling jacket you can buy is one that's bright yellow with
lots of Scotchlite. You look like a real geek, but it does help
the motorists to see you.

An alternative to a cycling jacket is a light (preferably mesh)
fluorescent yellow waistcoat with large Scotchlite reflective
stripes. This has the advantage that you can dress for whatever the
weather conditions are, and put this on top for extra visibility. Sam
Browne belts (those yellow/reflective belt plus shoulder strap combos)
also help, but the solid color yellow ones aren't as reflective as
Scotchlite, and the yellow part isn't as big as a jacket or
waistcoat. So you end up less visible both by day and night.

Night is an especially scary time to ride. Many people worry that
they are even more likely than in the daytime to be "overlooked" by
drivers and run over. While I suspect that it is slightly more risky
to ride at night than during the day, it's still much safer than most
non-cyclists would imagine. However, it is more important than ever to
be cautious, listen for and watch the cars carefully, and make sure
you are as visible as possible (within bounds! you don't need to be
lit up like a Christmas tree to ride at night).

If you ride at night, you must have rear reflectors and a rear
light and headlight. The headlight is both so that you can see the
road and so that other road users (motorists and other cyclists) can
see you. Often, as I ride along unlit cycle paths away from
streetlights, I almost run into unlit cyclists. The best combination
of lights is a red LED light in the back and a halogen front light.

I find that low-powered headlights (3W or less) are fine for
riding in an urban environment, where there are streetlights, and cars
drive around with low beams. (Some people would disagree with me,
suggesting higher powered lights to better get the attention of
drivers.)

When you're riding in unlit country roads at night, there is the
additional difficulty of being blinded by the high beams of oncoming
drivers. Often they don't see you, and so don't dim their lights. I
used to think that the motorists were being doing it on purpose.
However, after getting brighter lights, I've found that cars dim their
lights for me much more quickly, so I think that they just hadn't seen
me previously. A 6W to 10W light is good enough to get them to see you
and dim their lights reasonably quickly. I usually ride with both a 6W
and 10W lighting head. I have the 6W light pointed to illuminate the
tarmac in front of me, while the 10W is pointed more nearly
level. When I'm riding alone I'll turn on the 10W beam as soon as I
see the lights of an approaching car. Usually they see me and dim
their lights quickly.

If you can't afford such bright lights, it can help to wear a hat
with a peak. Then you can dip your head to try to shield your eyes
from the headlights until the car has seen you and has dipped its
lights.

There may be a few motorists out there who despite seeing you,
still don't dip their lights. This is not out of malevolence; they are
simply not thinking. They have it in their minds that they must dip
their lights for cars, but it doesn't occur to them that it's just as
important to dip their lights for bikes. Your strategy here should be
to somehow convey to the driver that it's important for him to dip his
lights for you too. That way he'll be more likely to dim his lights
the next time he sees you or another cyclist. If you have a high beam,
you can flash it on, off, on, off, in hopes that he gets the idea. You
can swing your lights to him by turning the handlebars slightly to
achieve the same effect (a brief brightening). You can raise you hand
to your eyes in the classic "I'm being blinded!" gesture. If you're
daring you can also wobble on the road a bit and veer slightly closer
to the center of the road, in hopes of alerting the driver to the fact
that he is blinding you.

For some general guidelines on taillights and
low-powered headlights (3W or less), read
this. See
here for reviews of some high-powered rechargeable lighting systems.

Don't underestimate the usefulness of reflectors. So many of us
somehow lose them along the way as we make changes and upgrades to our
bikes. Make the effort to put some rear reflectors on the bike. An
easy way to do this for the rear is to get a rear LED light with a
built-in reflector. If you go for separate reflectors, remember that
amber is brighter than red. White should not be used on the back, as
it signifies the front of a vehicle.

Of course, it doesn't hurt to have, in addition to reflectors, some
reflective tape on your bike as well. You can get this from cycle and
auto shops.

It is sometimes desirable to make yourself easily identifiable as
a cyclist. Moving reflective bits on the ends of your legs can help
with this. This can be provided by reflective ankle bands, reflective
patches on your shoes, or pedal reflectors. Another school of thought
says that since these don't increase your visibility much, but just
make it easy for motorists to recognize that you're a cyclist rather
than any other object on the road, they aren't so useful. I take the
view that any additional reflective material is a good thing and often
wear reflective trouser clips.

Riding in traffic requires that you be very comfortable with your
bike and be able to respond instantly to what's happening around you. It
requires you to perform some specific skills that you may not be used
to. The first is to be able to ride in a straight line while looking
behind to see if there are cars. You must do this long enough to judge
their speed and distance. You must also be able to hold a turn signal
for several seconds on end, and to brake while holding the turn
signal. If you can't do this comfortably, practice it in a parking lot
or on an empty country road.

If you have dropped handlebars, it is harder to make proper turn
signals, and especially to hold a turn signal while braking. If you
can't manage to do this, don't use your drop-bar bike in traffic. Get
a cheap bike with straight bars for riding downtown.

Toeclips can also present a potential problem, if you're not used
to them. You do not want to be concentrating on getting your feet into
toe clips at the expense of paying attention to what's happening
around you. Don't ride in traffic with toe clips until you are
completely accustomed to them and it becomes automatic.

Note that this long article on bicycle safety says almost nothing
about helmets. There is a very good reason for this: I think the
knowledge above (how to ride safely) is far more effective at
preventing cycling injuries than wearing a helmet. If you want to wear
a helmet, go ahead, but you must recognize that the protective
benefits are very limited. It is absolutely imperative that you do
your best to avoid an accident in the first place. A helmet is best
though of as an "after I have done all else I can reasonably do"
safety precaution. Use one if you wish but do not substitute it for
good cycling practice and proper training.